Courage and the Poisoned Apples
by owlwatcher-974
Summary: Courage finds a gold coin in the park. Muriel and Eustace fall for the 'old poisoned apple trick'. Katz and Ma Bagge are up to something... This is the third story in the series which started with "Circle of Children".
1. A Walk in the Park

Courage was bored. The pink dog sighed as he wandered around the house going from one room to the next. His owners, Muriel and Eustace, were both outside. Muriel was pulling the weeds from the flower garden that she had planted under the kitchen window while Eustace was working on his truck.  
  
Finally, Courage decided to go outside and wander around out there. It was a fairly nice day but summer was nearly over and fall weather was beginning to set in early this year. Courage sniffed around close to where Muriel was digging out a particularly stubborn weed.  
  
"Hi Courage, I see ye decided to come outside after all." Muriel smiled as she noticed Courage sniffing around in the dirt.  
  
Courage smiled and wandered over for a gentle pat on the head.  
  
"I've almost finished with my flower garden. Maybe we can talk Eustace into a nice drive into town."  
  
Courage wagged his tail. At this point, any distraction from this unbearable boredom sounded wonderful to him. Even if it did mean a long drive with Eustace.  
  
"Hey stupid dog! Get over here and make yourself useful for once." Courage cringed as Eustace called for him. He sighed and wandered over to where Eustace's legs were sticking out from under one side of the truck.  
  
Eustace slid out from under the truck. "Get in the truck and see if it will start!" Eustace went to the front of the truck and began to tinker with something under the hood while Courage slid into the driver's seat and turned the key.  
  
"It's about time!" Eustace growled as the truck roared to life. "See Muriel", he said turning toward the house where Muriel had just finished with her flower garden. "I really can fix anything!"  
  
Courage left the truck running as he slipped out of the driver's seat and sat down a few feet away from the truck.  
  
"Good for you, Eustace!" Muriel's cheerful voice rang out over the loud noise of the trucks motor. "Now, can ye take us all into town for a while? I need a few things from the grocery store for our dinner tonight."  
  
Eustace grumbled. "Well, I do want to get some things from the hardware store. But does that stupid dog have to come with us?!"  
  
"Of course he does!" The venom in Eustace's voice could not take away from Muriel's upbeat mood. "Courage doesn't want to be stuck here alone."  
  
Eustace just grumbled something under his breath while everybody climbed into the truck.  
  
The trip to town didn't take long and soon Eustace had found a nice place to park the truck. Everybody got out of the truck and went their seperate ways. Courage found himself headed in the direction of the park. The green grass was wonderfully cool and soothing on his paws which had become way too hot from walking on the sidewalk. He began to sniff around until he found himself staring into the small fountain in the middle of the park. The water was several inched deep and there were several coins scattered around the bottom of the fountain. A few pennies here and there along with some dimes and one or two quarters. He stared into the water for several minutes. As he turned away from the water, something caught his eye. It was a large golded coin half burried in the dirt. As Courage picked up the coin, he noticed that it was much heavier than most of the coins he had seen. It looked very old. The metal was worn down and most of the writing had disapeared but Courage could make out the picture of an owl on one side of it and the picture of a man wearing some sort of helmet on the other. Courage stared at the odd looking coin for some time before putting it in his pocket.  
  
A few minutes later, Courage met Muriel and Eustace back at the truck.  
  
Eustace was talking to Muriel about what he the man in the hardware store had told him. "The robbers took several pieces of gold jewelry and two rare gold coins."  
  
"Oh my! I'll bet that stuff is worth a lot of money!" Muriel exclaimed.  
  
"No kiddin'. I'd love to get me hands on that loot!" Eustace laughed as he climbed into the truck.  
  
On the way back home, Courage couldn't help but wonder about that coin he had just found. 


	2. Poisoned Apples

Eustace's truck drove up in front of the house just as the man who delivered the newspaper was leaving. Eustace grumbled something about the paper being late once again as he picked the paper up off of the porch and went into the house. Courage jumped out of his truck and headed toward the front door followed by Muriel.  
  
Eustace went straight for his favorite chair and opened up the newspaper while Muriel went into the kitchen with a sack of groceries. Courage followed her.  
  
"We're gonna have a really yummy dinner tonight, Courage! I found my favorite recipe for roast chicken in a vinegar wine sauce!" Muriel began to take various items from the sack of groceries and place them on the counter. Courage curled up on the kitchen rug, forgetting all about the strange coin as he anxiously watched Muriel prepare dinner. The walk in the park had made him very hungry.  
  
A few minutes later, Eustace stepped into the kitchen. "Muriel, you gotta hear this!" He sat down in one of the chairs by the table and began to read aloud from the paper. "The door of the antique shop was left wide open but there were no signs of forced entry. The door was not broken nor did it appear to have been pried open. All the windows were protected by iron bars. At this time, Police say they are without any clues as to who could have gotten into the building. The only items that were stolen were several pieces of antique gold jewelry, two solid gold platters and two very rare gold coins. "  
  
Courage gulped as he was reminded of the coin that he had found  
  
Muriel walked over to the table with an armload of plates, napkins and silverware. "Sounds like whoever got into that antique shop must have had a key."  
  
Eustace watched as Muriel set the table. "According to the newspaper, the only person to have a key to the building is the owner - and he's been in the hospitalized for the last two days after having a heart attack."  
  
Muriel looked over at Eustace. "Maybe somebody stole the key from him."  
  
Eustace shook his head. "The key was on the keychain that the man keeps with him. That keychain is in the drawer next to his hospital bed."  
  
Muriel shrugged and turned back to the stove. "That is a mystery." She said as she returned with a large dish and began to fill the plates with delicious looking pieces of chicken. "I hope the two of ye like the roast chicken. It's my own recipe." She spooned vegetables onto the plates followed by a strong smelling vinegar sauce.  
  
Courage quickly forgot about the coin as he cleaned his plate.  
  
A few minutes later, he and Muriel joined Eustace in the livingroom to watch TV. The news was on and they were talking about the break in. Eustace just growled and started to say something when he was interrupted by a knock at the door.  
  
"I wonder who that could be?" Muriel got up from her chair and answered the door.  
  
An old woman in a brown hooded cape was standing on the porch. She was holding a basket in her hands. "I'm selling delicious home-made baked apples. Would you care to buy any?"  
  
Muriel looked at the apples. "Hmmm... they do look delicious and I didn't have the time to make any dessert tonight."  
  
There was something vaguely familiar about this old woman and, for some reason, Courage didn't trust her. He quickly ran over to Muriel and tugged on her dress. Hopping from one foot to the other, he tried desperately to tell Muriel not to trust this woman. But, as usual, Muriel misunderstood what Courage was trying to tell her.  
  
Muriel looked down at Courage. "They do look delicious don't they?" She turned back to the woman as Courage pulled his ears in frustration. "I'll buy three of them."  
  
Courage whined as Muriel took three small bags from the woman's basket and paid her for the apples. He followed Muriel into the kitchen trying desperately to convince her not to eat the apples but Muriel took out three bowls and put the apples in them along with extra cinnimon and sugar. He followed Muriel back into the livingroom and as she put one of the bowls on the table next to Eustace. Muriel put one of the bowls down in front of Courage then sat down in her chair and began to eat from the third bowl. Courage just sniffed at the bowl in front of him then looked back up to see Eusace eating from the bowl that Muriel had placed on the table beside him. Courage just sighed and sniffed at his bowl again. Something about this apple didn't smell right.  
  
"What's the matter Courage? Don't ye like baked apples?" Muriel took another bite of her baked apple. "These apples are delicious."  
  
"I'll eat that apple if that stupid dog don't want it!" Eustace had already finished his apple and was staring at Courage's bowl.  
  
No matter how much Courage disliked Eustace, he couldn't bring himself to let Eustace take the baked apple from him. Muriel liked Eustace and Courage would be letting Muriel down if he let Eustace eat something that he didn't trust enough to eat himself. Courage sighed and began to sort of nibble at the apple, knowing that Eustace wouldn't want to eat something that he had taken a bite off of.  
  
"Stupid greedy dog!" Eustace growled.  
  
Muriel finished her apple and got up from her chair to take the bowls back into the kitchen to be washed. Courage followed her into the kitchen and quickely dumped his baked apple into the garbage can before Muriel noticed what he had done. He went over to the where Muriel was standing at the sink and offered the bowl to Muriel to be washed.  
  
Muriel smiled as she took the empty bowl from him. "I see ye ate your baked apple after all."  
  
Muriel finished washing the bowls and yawned as she went back into the livingroom. "I think I'll take a wee nap before that movie I want to watch comes on."  
  
Courage followed her back into the livingroom. Eustace was asleep in his chair and snoring very loudly. Muriel sat down in her chair and, within seconds, she too was snoring loudly. Courage looked at Eustace then at Muriel. Something didn't seem right. He jumped up in Muriel's lap. Normally this would have woken Muriel up but she remained sound asleep. Courage tugged on Muriel's hand but it had no effect on her. Finally, he began to lick Muriel's face to try to wake her up. Again there was no response. Muriel was out cold. Courage jumped off of her lap and ran over to Eustace. He tugged on Eustace's hand and even bit him on the leg but Eustace just kept snoring.  
  
Courage began to panic. He hopped from one foot to the other saying, "What do I do, what do I do?" Finally, he calmed down a little bit and began to think. He had to get some help. He fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out a small piece of metal with some words inscribed on it. He read the words aloud and waited. 


	3. Intruders

Several strange ghostly lights appeared in the room but, instead of being frightened, Courage breathed a sigh of relief and wagged his tail. The lights quickly took shape of several children and one tall adult.  
  
"Hello Courage, you called?" Mr. Worth smiled down at Courage.  
  
Courage frantically pointed in the direction of Muriel and Eustace.. Mr. Worth watched as the dog ran over and tried desperatly to wake Muriel up with no success. Courage then ran over to Eustace and bit him on the leg again but the only response he got was a loud snore.  
  
"They're out like lights." one of the childern observed.  
  
"What happened to them, Courage?" Mr. Worth sounded very concerned.  
  
Courage took a deep breath then turned himself into a perfect image of the old woman who had sold the apples to Muriel. Then he turned into a basket, then mimicked Muriel, then turned into a baked apple. Finally, he collapsed on the floor trying to catch his breath after the exhausting series of charades.  
  
Mr. Worth watched Courage carefully. "Hmmm.... let's see here. An old woman, a basket, Muriel, and a baked apple. What does that add up to?"  
  
"I know, I know!" One of the girls was excitedly waving her hand in the air.  
  
Mr. Worth glanced over at her. "Okay, Shelly, what do you think it means?"  
  
The girl took a deep breath. "I read a story once where an old lady tricked a girl by giving her a poisoned apple which made the girl fall asleep until she was kissed by a prince and lived happily ever after."  
  
Mr. Worth considered the girls lengthy answer. "So you think this is the old 'poisoned apple trick' huh?"  
  
The girl nodded.  
  
"Is she right, Courage?"  
  
Courage nodded. "Uh-huh uh-huh!" Although Courage knew nothing about the 'old poisoned apple trick', he knew that there was something wrong with those apples.  
  
Mr. Worth looked down at Courage. "Did you eat any of those apples, Courage?"  
  
Courage carefully considered the question before taking a deep breath and turning himself into an apple with a tiny nibble taken off of it.  
  
Mr. Worth grinned at Courage. "Is there anything you cannot mimick?"  
  
Courage just shrugged and whined pitifully as he looked over at Muriel.  
  
Mr. Worth knelt down and gently patted Courage on the head. "Don't worry, she'll be okay." He turned back to the girl. "If I remember the story correctly, the only way that the sleeping girl was able to be awaken was with a kiss right?"  
  
The girl nodded.  
  
Courage quickly jumped up in Muriels lap and gave her a kiss on the cheek but nothing happened. Muriel just kept snoring.  
  
Mr. Worth grinned. "Nice try Courage, but if this were to follow the story, only a person could wake her up with a kiss." Mr. Worth thought about it for a moment. "It seems a like a long shot but it's worth a try."  
  
To everybody's suprise, the ghost kissed Muriel on the lips. But again, there was no response.  
  
Mr. Worth shrugged. "I guess it would have to be a living person if something like that were to work."  
  
Courage could have sworn he saw a hint of mischief in Mr. Worth's eyes. He jumped down from Muriel's lap and stood there with his hands on his hips staring at the ghost.  
  
Mr. Worth just chuckled. "Come on Courage, I may be dead but a guy's got to have some fun."  
  
Courage glared at him.  
  
The ghost looked back at Courage and, as if reading Courage's mind, he said, "Don't worry, Courage. I am taking this seriously. I honestly don't believe that she's in any immediate danger but there has to be a reason that somebody wanted these two to sleep like this. Do you have any ideas?"  
  
Courage hesitated for a second wondering if the coin he found could possibly have any connection to what had happened to Muriel and Eustace. Finally, he went over to where Eustace had dropped his paper on the floor. Courage searched through the paper until he found the story about the antique store robbery. He showed the story to Mr. Worth.  
  
Mr. Worth read about the robbery then looked at Courage. "Were these two connected with that robbery?"  
  
Courage shook his head and pulled the gold coin from his pocket. He showed the coin to Mr. Worth.  
  
"Is this one of the coins that was stolen from the antique store?" Mr. Worth looked at Courage with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.  
  
Courage shrugged began trying desperatly to think of a way of telling Mr. Worth how he found the coin. Suddenly, he heared voices outside the house. The voices were approaching the front door when Mr. Worth held out a hand to Courge. "Quick, hold on!"  
  
Courage grabbed onto Mr. Worth's hand and, a few seconds later, he found himself standing in his attic room with the ghosts. Mr. Worth motioned to the children to keep quiet as he opened the door. The ghost drifted down the attic stairs to the hallway in front of Muriel and Eustace's bedroom. He was almost completely invisible as he stood at top of the stairs watching what was happening in the livingroom.  
  
Somebody was on the front porch trying to open the door. It sounded like somebody was trying to put a key into the lock. After a few audible clicks from the lock, the front door opened and an evil looking red cat appeared with one long claw poking out of his paw. The cat was followed by a woman with a large orange wig.  
  
The woman studied the two sleeping people and let out an evil sounding laugh. "See, I told you it would work. There both out cold and they'll stay that way until somebody gives them the antidote. Now where's my gold coin?"  
  
The cat looked over at Muriel, then over at Eustace. "I'll give you the gold coin when we find, and eliminate, the pink dog.", he said with an evil hiss.  
  
Mr. Worth looked down and noticed that Courage had also snuck down to the top of the stairs to see what was going on.  
  
"Oh no!" Courage's voice was barely audible but, somehow, the words were clear to Mr. Worth. He motioned for Courage to follow him back up the stairs.  
  
When they were safely back in the attic room, Mr. Worth motioned for the children to gather around him. He looked down at Courage. "We have to get you out of here."  
  
Courage protested in an anguished sounding voice, "Muriel!"  
  
Courage started to run back to the attic door but the children surrounded him then looked up at Mr. Worth who nodded. "Let's take him with us."  
  
The children began to chant something and Courage began to feel incredibly sleepy. Slowly, the ghosts disappeared taking a deeply hypnotized Courage with them. 


	4. Welcome To Our Home

When Courage regained his senses, he was in a very small, dark, musty place. He tried to get his eyes used to the darkness but he couldn't see a thing. He felt very tired and the air was so heavy and stale that he could hardly breathe. He tried to keep calm but he found himself beginning to panic until a light appeared. It was Mr. Worth.  
  
"I'm sorry we had to bring you here, Courage. But you weren't safe at all while you were in that house."  
  
The light that came from the ghost was just bright enough to allow Courage to see a little bit of his surroundings. They were in what appeared to be a small room. Courage looked up to see that most of the ceiling was gone and that the room was in the middle of some sort of cave. Four of the children slowly appeared lighting up the room a bit. Courage was able to make out what appeared to be several raised platforms behind him and what looked like several long shelves on one of the side walls. The other side of the room was missing most of the wall but the remaining part of the wall had also had what appeared to be half of a shelf. Where the wall was missing, Courage could see nothing but emptiness. The was a doorway behind the ghosts but Courage couldn't see anything outside.  
  
He noticed that the ghosts were all just staring at him, watching his every move. Courage suddenly felt nervous. He began to look around the room when two more of the children appeared bringing more light to the tiny room. It was then that Courage noticed something on one of the raised platforms. He nervously looked up at Mr. Worth who nodded toward the platform, indicating that Courage should take a closer look. Courage slowly approached the raised platform as one of the children silently moved closer to give him more light. Courage took a close look at the object on the platform and tears came to his eyes as he realized that the object was a skull. He was in the tomb where Mr. Worth and the children had been burried.  
  
Mr. Worth smiled softly at Courage. "Welcome to our home.", he said quietly.  
  
The rest of the children appeared around Courage and now the whole room was lit up. Courage could clearly see that there were several other pieces of bones on the platform in front of him. He looked over at the other platforms and saw more bones and a few small skulls. The shelves also contained bones. Courage didn't know how to react as the harsh reality that his friends were dead began to set in. He couldn't hold back the tears. Several of the children surrounded him and hugged the small dog to comfort him.  
  
Finally, Mr. Worth spoke again. "It's okay to grieve Courage. I do understand."  
  
One of the boys looked over at Mr. Worth. All he could say was, "Why?"  
  
The tall ghost looked away. "Because we are around him so much he thinks of us as being alive, Daniel."  
  
Courage finally managed to stop crying and he began to look around. One of the younger boys began to show him around. The boy proudly pointed to a spot on one of the shelves against the wall. "This is where I am." Another boy pointed to a spot next to where the other boy pointed. "This is me." One by one the children began to show off their spots in the tomb. Courage noticed that the ghosts were smiling proudly as they showed him around their home.  
  
When the children were finished showing Courage around, Mr. Worth led him back to the raised platform in the center of the room. "This, is my spot." The ghost smiled softly at Courage. "We don't usually get visitors here and the children are enjoying having you here to visit us."  
  
Courage smiled and wagged his tail as the children surrounded him and hugged him.  
  
Mr. Worth watched for a few minutes. Finally he gently reminded everybody why Courage was there. "Courage, do you know either of the people who broke into your house?"  
  
Courage nodded and looked down.  
  
"Who are they?"  
  
Courage was finding it difficult to think because the air in the tomb was so stale. He went to the doorway and looked outside. As the ghosts followed him a little ways outside the door, he could see that they were in some sort of small underground cavern that was just big enough to hold the tomb and some broken head stones. Courage looked over one of the cavern walls and saw what looked like the roof of the tomb sticking out of the cavern wall. He looked at the outside of the tomb saw where one wall and much of the room had been spit off from the rest of the tomb.  
  
Mr. Worth nodded in the direction Courage was looking. "The other piece of the tomb is in that dirt wall. It's because of this," the ghost said gesturing to the other piece of the tomb, "and the fact that we died up on that mountain, that we are able to roam freely within the area of Nowhere."  
  
Courage was beginning to find it difficult to breathe. Mr. Worth noticed this. "There's not enough air down here for him. We have to get him out of here. Let's take him to the mountain."  
  
The children surrounded Courage and began to chant. This time Courage welcomed the feeling of sleepiness as he fell into a trance. 


	5. The Mountain Trail

Courage awoke from his trance to find himself alone on a mountain trail. He was beginning to feel weak and he found himself struggling to get to his feet as his eyes quickly adjusted to the dim moonlight. On one side of the trail was a rocky mountain wall. Trees lined the other side of the trail. After taking a minute or two to regain his strength, Courage ventured a little ways down the trail to a spot where the trees disappeared as the land on the other side of the trail dipped down into a valley. From here he could see the lights of Nowhere streched out in the distance. It was a truly peaceful sight.  
  
Courage stared out at the lights for several minutes before noticing a strong feeling of being watched. He turned to look behind him and saw Mr. Worth standing there alone.  
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Mr. Worth glided over to stand next to Courage.  
  
Courage nodded. "Uh-huh"  
  
Mr. Worth sat down next to Courage. "I used to love coming up here."  
  
Courage looked over at the ghost. "Is this where you and the children..."  
  
Mr. Worth found himself almost understanding the words. "Say that again slowly."  
  
Courage repeated his question much more slowly and clearly.  
  
Mr. Worth listened carefully, half understaning the words and half reading the dog's mind. The ghost nodded. . "Yes ... this is the place where we died."  
  
Courage's surprise at Mr. Worth's understanding was overshadowed by the feeling of sadness that he could sense coming from Mr. Worth. Courage leaned up against the ghost trying to comfort him. Mr. Worth smiled and put his arm around the dog. Courage looked up at Mr. Worth's face and saw that there were tears in the ghost's eyes.  
  
Courage whined softly.  
  
Mr. Worth wiped the tears from his eyes and gathered his thoughts. "I have always felt guilty for bringing those children up here that weekend. I should have waited until the next week but I wanted us to come when the trees were still just beginning to bud. I wanted the children to see the springtime rebirth of nature. I should have known better. I should have waited."  
  
Courage turned and gave Mr. Worth a hug. He wanted to tell him that he shouldn't feel guilty. He wanted to tell Mr. Worth that it wasn't his fault. But, even with Mr. Worth being able to understand him a little bit, there was no way that Courage could get him to understand everything that he wanted to say.  
  
Mr. Worth hugged Courage back. "You truly are man's best friend."  
  
Courage wagged his tail.  
  
"Now, let's get back to business. You know the two that broke into your house. Who are they?"  
  
Courage thought for a moment then turned into Eustace then into Ma Bagge. He fell to the ground panting as he returned to his normal self.  
  
"She is related to that grumpy old man, Eustace?"  
  
Courage nodded. He tried to think of another charade but he was feeling too tired so he decided to try and get his point across with words. "Ma", was all he could say.  
  
"Ma?"  
  
Courage nodded.  
  
"That's his mother?!" Mr. Worth looked stunned as Courage nodded. "She would do something like that to her own son?!"  
  
Courage nodded again.  
  
"No wonder he is such an ass."  
  
Courage was surprised at Mr. Worth's choice of words.  
  
"I may be a teacher and I may spend most of my time watching over those children but I'm only human .. at least I was only human. You should realize that by now, Courage."  
  
Courage gave Mr. Worth a big toothy grin.  
  
"So who's the other bad guy?"  
  
Courage thought about it for a moment then said something that sounded almost exactly like, "Katz"  
  
"Katz?"  
  
Courage nodded.  
  
"So do you have any idea why this Katz ...um... fellow wants to eliminate you?"  
  
Courage nodded. By now he was feeling too way to weak and tired for charades so he found a small stick and began writing something in the dirt.  
  
Mr. Worth looked down at what Courage was writing. "So he is an old enemy of yours because you tried to rescue Muriel and Eustace from him."  
  
Courage nodded.  
  
"Okay, one more question. How did you get that gold coin?"  
  
Courage drew a picture of the fountain in Nowhere park.  
  
"You found it in the park?"  
  
Courage nodded.  
  
"Eustace's mother mentioned something about a gold coin, didn't she?"  
  
"Uh-huh"  
  
Mr. Worth considered this for a moment. "Did anybody see you pick that coin up?"  
  
Courage just shrugged. There had been a lot of people walking around the park that day.  
  
Two small shapes appeared behind Courage and Mr. Worth. Mr. Worth seemed to realize that they were there. "Have they left the house?" He didn't bother to turn around as he asked the question.  
  
"Yes, they left just now." A boy said as he knelt down to pet Courage.  
  
A girl knelt down beside the boy and scratched the itchy spot behind Courage's ears. Courage wagged his tail in appreciation of the kind attention he was recieving. "They searched through almost everything in that house. We were getting so sick of them tearing things apart that we wanted to scare them but we didn't."  
  
Mr. Worth turned to face the children. "So everybody kept quiet and watched just like I told you to?"  
  
Both of the children looked back at him and nodded.  
  
"Did either of them say anything that might be useful to us?" Mr. Worth reached down and patted Courage as he questioned the two children.  
  
"They just kept arguing about when that ugly lady was going to get the coin. She kept saying that the coin was supposed to be given to her after she made sure that the two people were out of the way. But that weird looking cat said that she would get the coin as soon as they found the dog because the dog was the one who had it." The girl stopped to take a deep breath. "The cat was also mad because somebody - I didn't hear the name - had dropped the coin in the first place. He said something about needing all the gold they could get."  
  
Mr. Worth looked at the girl. "Did he say why he needed the gold?"  
  
The boy spoke up. "I heard him say something about a machine that couldn't be finished unless he found enough gold or something like that."  
  
Mr. Worth looked down at the ground as he thought about what they had said. "Did he say anything else?"  
  
"I heard him say something about having to break into somewhere because some of the gold was lost."  
  
Courage looked up at the girl in surprise. "So that's how they got into the antique shop!"  
  
The two children looked down at Courage not understanding a word. But Mr. Worth just stared off into the distance. "Antique shop?"  
  
Courage nodded. "Uh huh!"  
  
"So you think it was Katz?"  
  
Courage jumped up and down excitedly. "Uh-huh uh-huh!" He gathered what strength he could and quickly turned himself into a very large cat's claw then into a lock before falling to the ground exhausted.  
  
Mr. Worth turned and watched Courage's charade. "You think the cat picked the lock at the antique shop just like he picked the lock at your house."  
  
Courage nodded weakly.  
  
Mr. Worth rose to his feet. "Make's sense. Come on, let's get back to your house. I want to see if we can figure out what was in those apples and what that cat and Eustace's Ma are planning."  
  
The children looked up at him. "That ugly old lady is that mean old man's Ma?"  
  
Mr. Worth nodded and reached out to take the children's hands. They formed a circle around Courage. "Relax Courage, it will be easier for us to take you back this way."  
  
Courage remained still and relaxed in the middle of the circle while Mr. Worth began to chant something. Slowly the children joined in the chant and Courage began to feel sleepy. 


	6. More Intruders

Courage woke up in his attic room. He tried to stand up but he felt too weak to move. He laid back down and waited. A few seconds later Mr. Worth appeared in front of him.  
  
Courage looked up at the ghost and whined softly.  
  
Mr. Worth knelt down and petted Courage. "It will be daylight in a couple of hours, Courage. You need to get some sleep. You're probably very weak and tired from traveling with us."  
  
Four of the children appeared in the room.  
  
Mr. Worth turned around. "Are the others resting?"  
  
All four children nodded.  
  
"Good. I need you four to stand guard by the doors. Two of you by the front door and two of you by the back. If anybody comes into the house one will come get me while the other stays to watch. When you get tired, one of you will go get two of the others to take your place. Just make sure that the door you are guarding is watched at all times, understand?"  
  
All four children nodded again.  
  
Mr. Worth smiled at the children as they disappeared then he turned his attention back to the exhausted dog. "I'll stay here and keep watch over you."  
  
Courage looked up at him. He managed to speak one word clearly, "Muriel?!"  
  
Mr. Worth sat down beside Courage and rested one hand on the dog's back. "She and Eustace are still sleeping. Don't worry, the two children who are guarding the front door are down there with them. If anything happens, they will let me know immediately."  
  
Courage sighed and struggled to move close enough to Mr. Worth to rest his head on the ghosts lap. Mr. Worth smiled softly down at the dog and scratched his ears. "Everything will be fine. We'll find the antidote and we'll figure out what that cat is up to."  
  
Courage managed a weak smile as he dropped off into a deep sleep.  
  
It was nearly dawn when Courage was awakened by a loud noise downstairs. One of the Children was whispering something to Mr. Worth.  
  
Courage struggled to get to his feet.  
  
Mr. Worth turned around as he realized that Courage was awake. "Be quiet Courage. There's somebody in the kitchen."  
  
Another small ghost appeared and whispered something to Mr. Worth who nodded and whispered something back.  
  
Mr. Worth leaned down to Courage. "Can you hold on to me?"  
  
Courage grabbed onto Mr. Worth's hand and the ghost disappeared taking Courage with him. They reappeared out in the yard where Courage could clearly see two cat-like shapes through the kitchen window.  
  
A small boy appeared beside Mr. Worth who listened for a moment before becoming visibly agitated at what the little boy was telling him, "I think I've had quite enough of this. Scare the living crap out of them!"  
  
The little boy grinned wickedly and disappeared. A minute later loud shrieks could be heard from within the house. Through the kitchen window, Courage saw several bright glowing shapes flying around furiously. An instant later, two red cats burst through the back door and took off running down the road as fast as their legs could carry them.  
  
Mr. Worth let out a devilish laugh as he watched the two cats run. Courage tried to laugh but found himself still to weak.  
  
He whined softly up at Mr. Worth who smiled down at him. "Still not feeling like your normal self huh? Don't worry, this is normal. It's kind of a side effect of the spell we used to hypnotize you to take you with us. Also, too much of that kind of travel can drain the energy from person... or in your case, a dog. Your strength should come back soon. You just need to rest."  
  
Several children appeared and helped Mr. Worth carry the exhausted dog back into the house. 


	7. Search for the Antidote

Mr. Worth and the children gently laid Courage down on the kitchen rug. Courage took a look around the kitchen to see that it was a mess. Everything that was in the cabinets had been dragged out and tossed onto the counters and floor. Several drawers were left open as if they had been gone through. Even the refrigerator door was open as if it had been searched too.  
  
Seeing the refrigerator door open reminded Courage of how hungry he was. Slowly, he dragged himself to the refrigerator and began to look for something to eat. Luckily, Muriel was the type of person who put leftovers in the refrigerator and forgot about them. Courage found some beef stew that Muriel had cooked two days before. He tried to drag the heavy bowl out of the refrigerator but he was too weak. He stopped to catch his breath.  
  
Mr. Worth noticed the dog's struggle and came to the rescue. He removed the bowl from the refrigerator and put some of the stew in a pan to warm up. "I'll have this ready for you in a moment, Courage. Do you have a bowl that you normally eat out of?"  
  
Courage dragged himself over to the bowl that Eustace sometimes made him eat from. One of the children came up and patted Courage before taking the bowl to Mr. Worth.  
  
A few minutes later Mr. Worth placed the bowlful of stew in front of Courage. "Be careful, Courage, it's kind of hot."  
  
Courage waited for a few seconds then sniffed the stew to see if it had cooled down enough. When the steam no longer burned his nose he began to eat. The food was exactly what he needed to get some of his strength back.  
  
"Feel better now?" Mr. Worth took the empty bowl and washed it.  
  
Courage nodded weakly. He could stand up much more easily but his energy still felt drained.  
  
Mr. Worth sat down at the table and stared off into space as if thinking about something. "If we had one of those apples, we could begin to work on finding the antidote to wake up Muriel and Eustace."  
  
Courage looked over at the garbage can. The apple he had thrown away was still in there. He turned to Mr. Worth then pointed back at the garbage can.  
  
Mr. Worth got up to look. "Good job Courage!" He took the apple from the garbage can and held out one hand to Courage who grabbed on tight. A second later they were in the attic room in front of Courage's computer.  
  
Mr. Worth cut a small piece off of the apple and gave it to Courage. Courage put the piece of apple in a small drawer on the front of a device that was connected to the computer. Several lights flashed on the device and a few seconds later the computer voice began to speak. "The apple has been poisoned with a tranquilizer that is made from a rare plant which is found only in a few places around the world. This plant became well known among several ancient tribes who used a drug made from the plant to tranquilize entire groups of enemy warriors. In low doses, the tranquilizer found in this apple can put a person into a zombie like trance. Higher doses of this tranquilizer have been known to cause a person to fall asleep until the antidote is given. If the person is not given the antidote within five days, then they fall into a deep coma and, eventually, die. This piece of apple contains only a small amount of that tranquilizer, however, the entire apple would easily be enough to put a person into a deep sleep."  
  
Courage nearly fell to pieces when he heard this. "Muriel!!"  
  
Mr. Worth reached around Courage and began to type. A few seconds later the computer spoke again. "The antidote is made up from several plants which can be found in this area." The printer came to life and began to print out the list of plants with pictures of each plant and instructions for making the antidote. Mr. Worth typed a few more words and several copies of the list were printed.  
  
Courage sat in the chair frozen with panic. Muriel and Eustace had been sleeping since yesterday evening. This only left four and a half days to find all the plants and make the antidote.  
  
Mr. Worth tried to calm the dogs fears. "Don't worry, Courage. If I have all of the children search these plants out, then we'll have what we need in no time at all."  
  
Courage looked up at Mr. Worth then typed something into the computer. The computer voice spoke for him, "What will we be doing while the children are searching for the plants?"  
  
"You and I will be trying to figure out what that Katz fellow is up to." Mr. Worth turned away from Courage and the computer and disappeared.  
  
Courage slowly made his way downstairs to find Mr. Worth handing the lists to the children who were seperated into six pairs. Each pair was given directions on where to search, which plants to collect, and where to wait once they had collected the plants they had been sent to look for. Finally, all but one of the children disappeared.  
  
Mr. Worth turned to the boy that was left behind. "You will stand guard here. Don't worry if Katz or any of his friends come into the house. Just keep an eye on these two." Mr. Worth gestured to the sleeping Muriel and Eustace, "If anybody tries to do anything to them or if anything ...um...goes wrong with them, summon me immediately. Understand?"  
  
The boy nodded. "Yes Mr. Worth. I understand."  
  
Mr. Worth smiled at the boy. "Thank you Stephen."  
  
Courage slowly made his way over to Muriel and whined pitifully as he sat down by her feet.  
  
Mr. Worth knelt down by Courage and gently scratched the itchy spot behind Courage's ears. "I promise you, Courage, I will do everything in my power to make sure she's okay."  
  
Courage looked at Mr. Worth and managed a weak smile.  
  
Mr. Worth gave Courage a hug. "Everything will be okay. I'm sure of it. Now, you and I have work to do. We must figure out where Katz is and what he is up to."  
  
Courage nodded. At that particular moment he was too angry to be afraid. Muriel was in serious danger and, even though it was Ma Bagge that gave her and Eustace the poison, it was Katz who was behind the whole scheme. Courage was intent on making Katz pay for what he did to Muriel. 


	8. Another Break In

A noise was heard outside and the two ghosts turned nearly invisible while Courage hid behind Muriel's chair. Somebody came up to the porch and knocked on the door. Mr. Worth nodded to Courage who answered the door.  
  
The newspaper delivery man was standing on the porch. He smiled when he saw that it was Courage who answered the door. He silently handed Courage the paper before turning to leave.  
  
The startled man was met by Mr. Worth who was standing on the porch in front of him. "I'm sorry to bother you but may I please ask you a question or two?"  
  
The man just froze.  
  
The boy who was guarding the door giggled as Mr. Worth smiled in amusement. "Have there been any robberies since the antique store was broken into?"  
  
The man nervously nodded and cleared his throat. "T-t-the N-nowhere Museum w-was broken into last night, sir."  
  
Courage had quietly slipped outside to stand next to Mr. Worth on the porch  
  
Mr. Worth and Courage exchanged surprised glances and Mr. Worth turned back to the delivery man. "What exactly was stolen?"  
  
The man had calmed down a bit after seeing that Courage and the ghost were friends. "Three gold nuggets that were part of the West Coast Gold Rush Exhibit and five gold medalions that were part of another exhibit stolen. I can't remember which exhibit the medallions were from. The case that held the ancient coin exhibit was broken but none of the coins were stolen."  
  
Mr. Worth thought about what the man had told him for a moment."How did the thief get into the building?"  
  
The man shrugged. "The police aren't sure. There were no broken windows or anything. It looked almost as if the person who broke into the museum had a key or something."  
  
Courage looked up at Mr. Worth. The ghost looked down at him and nodded. Both were thinking the same thing - - Katz!.  
  
Mr. Worth smiled at the delivery man. "Thankyou very much for the information."  
  
The man smiled back at Mr. Worth. "There's a story about the robbery on the front page of the paper. You might be able to find out more from reading it."  
  
Mr. Worth and Courage went back into the house as the delivery man left. The story on the front page of the newspaper didn't tell them anything that they didn't already know. The only things stolen from the museum were items that were made of solid gold. The thief had gotten in through one of the back doors where the museum employees usually entered. There were no visible signs of forced entry.  
  
Mr. Worth spent several minutes wandering around the livingroom staring off into space. Finally, he turned to Courage. "Do you have any ideas where Katz may be hiding?"  
  
Courage looked up from his place by Muriel's feet. The first time he had run into Katz was when he had spent the night with Muriel and Eustace at a creepy motel full of spiders and other scary things. Courage wondered.... suddenly, he turned himself into a perfect image of an old, run down motel.  
  
Mr. Worth chuckled. "I have to ask this once again, is there anything you can't mimmick?"  
  
Courage turned back into himself and collapsed onto the floor, panting. His strength still was not back to normal.  
  
"So you think he is staying at a motel?"  
  
Courage tried to think of a way of getting his idea across. He took a deep breath and gathered all of his strength to turn himself into Katz then into a motel before collapsing back onto the floor in an exhausted heap of fur.  
  
Mr. Worth considered the two images. "Katz... motel..."  
  
Courage nodded. "Uh-huh! Katz Motel."  
  
Mr. Worth understood the words clearly. "Katz Motel? Are you saying that Katz owns a motel?"  
  
Courage just nodded. He was way too weak to even think of trying to explain any further.  
  
"Where is the Katz Motel?"  
  
The exhausted dog just pointed up toward the attic.  
  
Mr. Worth nodded and reached down to help Courage to his feet. "That's a good idea. Let's use the computer." 


	9. Tracking Down Katz

Courage was feeling way too weak to climb the stairs so he reached out and took Mr. Worth's hand. The ghost waited for Courage to get a good grip then disappeared with Courage holding on to him. They reappeared in the attic room and Courage just sat down on the floor trying to get some of his strength back. Mr. Worth smiled softly down at the dog and reached down to give him a gentle pat on the head before going over to turn on the computer.  
  
The computer screen finally lit up and the voice began to speak. "What do you w--", the normally sarcastic voice turned into a panicked shriek as the machine realized who was sitting in front of it, "AAAHHHH...it's you again!!!"  
  
Mr. Worth sighed and spoke to the machine as he began to type. "Get over it machine. You should be used to me by now."  
  
The computer fell silent as Mr. Worth continued to type. After a moment the familiar voice spoke. "The Katz Motel was closed down due various heath code violations including spider infestation and faulty wiring. There were some rumors of man-eating spiders and guests disappearing but nothing was ever proven. From what it says here, the building is undergoing renovations and is scheduled to be re-opened in a few months."  
  
Mr. Worth typed in something else. A few seconds later, the computer answered. "The building has not been sold. It is still owned by Katz."  
  
Mr. Worth got up from the chair. "Looks like you were right, Courage."  
  
Courage smiled weakly and crawled into the computer chair. He gathered his thoughts and began to type. The computer spoke for him. "How long will I be feeling like this?"  
  
Mr. Worth thought about it for a moment. "Well, normally when when we have to use the method we used to take you with us, the weakness goes away after an hour or two. But you traveled with us three times last night under those conditions. I think it might take all day for the side effects to wear off and for your strength to return to normal."  
  
Courage typed something else. "Why does it drain all my energy to when you take me with you like that?"  
  
"Because, the first time, you went against your will. We had to overpower you in a sense. The other two times you weren't fighting us but we still had to overpower you because you were too weak to hold on to one of us. It drains a lot of energy, Courage."  
  
Courage began to type again. "Is that chant you used to take me with you the same chant that the children were using the night I first saw them?"  
  
Mr. Worth just nodded.  
  
Courage looked at the ghost and then typed in another question. "That first night when Eustace was hypnotized by the children, what would have happened if Muriel and I hadn't come outside when we did?"  
  
Mr. Worth looked away. "The children would have taken him with them."  
  
Courage slowly typed in another question. "Where would they have taken him?"  
  
Mr. Worth shrugged. "Probably to the center of the cemetary or something like that. We weren't trying to hurt anybody, Courage, we were only trying to scare you into giving the necklace back."  
  
Courage smiled at the ghost and wagged his tail to show that he understood completely.  
  
Mr. Worth smiled warmly back at Courage. "I'm glad we've become friends, Courage."  
  
Mr. Worth turned around as two small shapes appeared in front of them.  
  
"We found what you sent us for, Mr. Worth." A girl held out three plants for the teacher to look at.  
  
Mr. Worth smiled as he carefully examined the leaves. "Perfect! Good work, Dianne!"  
  
The younger girl knelt down to pet Courage. "I found one of them close to the spot where we crossed over."  
  
Mr. Worth nodded smiled at the girl. "I figured that these plants could be found on that mountain. Good work Shelly."  
  
The other girl knelt down to pet Courage, whose tail was wagging happily. "Shelly also helped me find one of the other plants. I found the third one by myself."  
  
Mr. Worth smiled proudly at his students. "I'm proud of both of you. Now, are either of you getting tired?"  
  
Shelly nodded. "I'm feeling a little weak."  
  
Mr. Worth turned to the other girl. "What about you, Dianne?"  
  
Dianne shrugged. "I'm okay but maybe I should rest at least for a little while."  
  
Mr. Worth nodded. "Do both of you feel safe resting in the livingroom? I know you're used to a more hidden place but Stephen is guarding the front door and I would rather you all stick close together."  
  
Both girls nodded and disappeared.  
  
Mr. Worth stepped back over to the computer and typed something. A few seconds later the printer came to life and printed out a map.  
  
Mr. Worth studied the map. "Well, Courage, shall we go check out that motel?"  
  
Courage grinned and held on to the hand that Mr. Worth offered him. Slowly, the two of them disappeared. 


	10. A Trip to the Katz Motel

It was mid-afternoon when Courage and Mr. Worth appeared behind the Katz Motel. There was various building equipment and supplies lying around all over the place but the motel was closed up tight.  
  
Mr. Worth looked around the quiet grounds behind the motel. "Good thing we got here on a Saturday. All the work crews must be gone for the weekend."  
  
Courage nodded in agreement.  
  
The two searched for a way to get Courage into the building so he could let Mr. Worth in but all the windows and doors were locked.  
  
Mr. Worth sighed. "I hate doing this. It takes up too much of my strength. I'll go in then open a window for you, Courage. Then we'll have to find a quiet place for me to rest for a while."  
  
Courage looked up at him concerned.  
  
"There's no other way, Courage. Hide behind that pile of lumber while you wait for me to open a window. It may take a few minutes for me to get enough of my strength back to move solid objects."  
  
Courage nodded and hid behind the pile of boards that Mr. Worth had indicated. He watched as Mr. Worth stood still for a few moments as if gathering the energy he needed before slowly disappearing. Although it only took about 20 minutes, it seemed like an hour had passed before the window close to where Courage was hiding slid open.  
  
Courage climbed up on top of the boards and jumped through the open window landing on a pile of sheets that the work crews had used to cover things while they painted.  
  
"You'll need to close the window, Courage." Mr. Worth's voice was so weak that Courage could barely hear him.  
  
Courage quickly closed the window and turned around to see that Mr. Worth was almost invisible. He whined softly with concerned as he looked over at his friend.  
  
Mr. Worth gestured to a dark closet at the far end of the room. Courage followed him and hid behind some crates while the ghost closed his eyes and faded into thin air. Courage suddenly realized how tired he was himself and decided to take a nap while Mr. Worth rested.  
  
Courage had been sleeping for over an hour when he was awakened by a gentle touch on his shoulder. Mr. Worth quickly motioned for him to be quiet and pointed to the doorway leading into the other room.  
  
Courage peered through the boards of the crates and saw that they were no longer alone in the building. Two large red cats were carrying some boxes into the other room from the back door which was now wide open. Courage tried to hear what they were saying but he couldn't quite make out the words. Mr. Worth had turned nearly invisible and moved to the doorway to watch and listen. Courage couldn't help but admire the way Mr. Worth was able to move around at will without being seen. Sometimes he almost wished he were a ghost too but then he thought about all the things he could do and decided he would rather stay just the way he was.  
  
The back door suddenly closed and Courage could hear a loud truck driving away. Mr. Worth went out into the other room and was gone for a minute or two before calling to Courage. "They're gone. Come on out."  
  
Courage joined Mr. Worth in the other room where the ghost was examining the boxes that the cats had brought in. "Can you open these boxes Courage? I'm still a little weak."  
  
Courage nodded. The nap had been just what he needed to restore his own strength and he was feeling almost normal again.  
  
"Be careful", Mr. Worth advised, "we don't want them to notice that anybody has been messing with these boxes."  
  
Courage carefully opened two of the boxes. One box was filled with what looked like parts to build some sort of large machine. The other had several circuit boards and other electronic components. Courage opened the third and final box. He and Mr. Worth just stared as Courage pulled out a large circuit board. The circuit board was bigger that the ones in the other box and several of the various pieces on the board appeared to be made of solid gold.  
  
Mr. Worth looked puzzled as he stared at the board. "Well, I can see what Katz is using the gold for but, what kind of machine could these parts possibly be for?"  
  
Courage shrugged. He was just as puzzled as Mr. Worth was.  
  
A loud noise outside startled both of them and Courage quickly put the circuit board back into the box and closed all the boxes up so that the boxes looked just like they did before Courage had opened them. He and Mr. Worth quickly snuck back into the closet at the far end of the room.  
  
They managed to get to the closet just as the back door swung open. Standing in the doorway was none other than Katz himself. He was talking with a short, evil looking man that Courage had never seen before. "How much more gold do we need to make the final parts of the machine?"  
  
The man was busy pushing buttons on a large calculator-like machine that he was carrying. "We still need enough to make the last two parts. According to my calculations, we need at least four more ouces of gold for the electromagnetic wave dissimilator and two more ounces for the plazma capture beam generator."  
  
Katz begain to search through the boxes as he spoke. "Are you sure that we need gold to make these things? Why won't some other metal work?"  
  
"Because gold has certain properties - especially when it comes to supernatural beings."  
  
Mr. Worth looked puzzled as he listened to the conversation.  
  
The evil looking man removed his glasses which had become fogged and reached into the pocket of his long white coat for a napkin to wipe them clean. "The gold will create a certain 'energy' that will make sure that this machine will be able to capture the spirits that you are after."  
  
Mr. Worth began to look very amused.  
  
Katz picked up one of the boxes and left for one of the other rooms. The man picked up another box and followed him.  
  
Once the two had left the room, Mr. Worth began to laugh. "So they are building a 'ghost catching machine'." The ghost began to laugh even harder.  
  
Courage looked up at him wondering what was so funny.  
  
Mr. Worth regained his composure and looked back down at Courage as if reading the dog's mind. "Even if the machine does work, they've got it all wrong. Gold has no special properties against ghosts or any other supernatural being. Silver is the only metal that is supposed to have that kind of power but even silver doesn't have any effect on spirits. Using gold to build the parts won't have any effect on how well the machine works."  
  
Courage held back a giggle as Katz returned for the third box. Mr. Worth glided out of the room and followed the red cat. After a moment, Courage snuck out of his hiding place and crept along behind Katz and Mr. Worth making sure not to be seen or heard.  
  
Suddenly, Mr. Worth stopped in his tracks. He leaned down to whisper in Courage's ear. "I'm being summoned."  
  
Courage quickly grabbed onto the hand that Mr. Worth offered him and held on tightly as the ghost disappeared taking Courage with him. 


	11. One More Intruder

Mr. Worth and Courage appeared in the livingroom of Courage's house. Four more of the children were waiting for them.  
  
Two of the boys stepped forward and the oldest of the pair spoke up. "We found the plants you sent us for Mr. Worth."  
  
Mr. Worth examined the plants that the older boy handed to him then he smiled warmly at the two boys. "Well done!"  
  
The boys smiled back at their teacher and moved to one side as the other pair of children, one boy and one girl, stepped forward to show Mr. Worth the two plants that they had found.  
  
Mr. Worth examined the plants and smiled at the two children. "Well done!"  
  
The boy and girl smiled back at their teacher and then knelt down to pet Courage. By now, Courage was becoming used to the attention and he loved every bit of it. He wagged his tail happily in appreciation.  
  
Mr. Worth placed the plants that the two pairs of children had brought him in a box with the plants that the plants that had been brought in by the first pair of children. "I'm proud of all of you. Now, who has the most energy left?"  
  
The two girls who had been resting appeared. "I have plenty of energy now that I've rested." The older girl joined the other two children who were with Courage.  
  
Mr. Worth turned to the nearly invisible boy who had been guarding the front door. "Stephen, you take a break and get some rest. Dianne, you take his place by the door. Remember, if anybody breaks in, just watch and stay out of the way. If you need me for anything, I'll be resting up in the attic. The rest of you children rest down here and keep an eye on things. Shelly, since you've been resting for a while, stay awake in case Dianne needs your help, okay?"  
  
The little girl nodded.  
  
Mr. Worth turned to Courage. "Come on Courage, you go upstairs with me. I don't want to take the chance of Katz or any of his friends getting their hands on you."  
  
Courage followed the ghost upstairs.  
  
Once they had gotten into the attic room, Mr. Worth sat down on the floor in the middle of the room. "Courage, how long has Katz had it in for you?"  
  
Courage shrugged. He wasn't sure exactly how long it had been since he had first run into Katz at the motel.  
  
"Something has been bothering me, Courage. First, Katz begins to steal gold to make his 'ghost catching' machine. Then he comes here and says something about eliminating you. I wonder if the two are somehow connected."  
  
Courage looked up at Mr. Worth understanding exactly what the ghost was trying to say.  
  
Mr. Worth continued, "But how would he know that we were friends and how would he know that he would have to get us out of the way to get to you? Or is he trying to get you out of the way to get to us? Or is it all just coincidence?"  
  
Courage shuddered at the thought that he might somehow be responsible for putting his friends in danger.  
  
Mr. Worth seemed to read his mind. "For all we know, Courage. The children and I could be the ones putting you and your family in danger."  
  
Courage stared at the ghost. Mr. Worth had seemed to read his mind one too many times. Courage went over to the computer and turned it on. When the computer was ready, Courage began to type and waited for the computer to speak for him. "Are you able to read minds?"  
  
Mr. Worth smiled softly. "Not all the time. Only when a thought is 'broadcasted'. What I mean is that, sometimes when you want to say something but don't know how to say it, you 'think very loudly'. In those instances, I am able to read your mind."  
  
Courage began to type again. "Can you do this with everybody?"  
  
Mr. Worth shook his head. "No, only those who I've become friends with."  
  
Courage smiled and wagged his tail. Now he knew how Mr. Worth was able to understand him so well.  
  
Mr. Worth grinned. "I am also beginning to actually understand some of your words. Now, we should get as much rest as we can."  
  
Courage curled up by Mr. Worth's feet and closed his eyes as the ghost became invisible. It was nearly midnight when they were awakened by two of the children. The girls spoke quietly to Mr. Worth who motioned Courage to be quiet. Courage could hear the sound of somebody searching through one of the upstairs rooms. Mr. Worth rose to his feet and Courage followed him to the doorway of the attic room. They quietly slipped down the attic stairs to the upstairs hallway. Courage could see the light from Muriel and Eustace's room. He followed Mr. Worth a little way down the hallway to the open door. Courge could see a familiar looking shadow on the floor.  
  
Seconds later, there was the sound of footsteps heading toward the bedroom door. Courage held his ground and waited until a familiar voice greeted him. "Hey you stupid dog I've been looking for you! Where's my coin?!"  
  
Courage growled at Ma Bagge.  
  
"So, yer gonna make this difficult huh?"  
  
Courage continued to growl as a familiar shape appeared behind the woman.  
  
Mr. Worth had snuck up behind Ma and now made his presence known. "Excuse me lady, but I do not believe we have met."  
  
"Who the heck are you and what do you-!" Ma's sentence was cut off as she turned around to see who she was talking to. She stammered in fear as she stared at the tall ghost. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-????"  
  
Mr. Worth laughed. "It's funny how you can pick on somebody smaller than you, but when faced with somebody your own size you turn to a stammering idiot."  
  
Ma became enraged at the ghost. "How dare you come into my son's house and speak to me like that!"  
  
Mr. Worth just shook his head. "How dare you poison your own son then come ramsack his house while he sleeps. Do you realize that the tranquilizer you poisoned those apples with could kill him and his wife if they don't get the antidote in time?"  
  
"Blah, blah, blah. The stupid boy should have been more careful what he ate! Besides, it was his wife that fed him the apple! How can you blame me?!"  
  
Mr. Worth looked down at the floor as he tried to keep his temper in check. "You don't care what happens to your son, do you? All you care about is some stupid gold coin!"  
  
Ma just looked at Mr Worth for a moment. "Aww come on, you know that the stupid dog will save him and Muriel."  
  
Mr. Worth glared at the woman. "Courage can't do a thing to help Eustace or Muriel if you help Katz eliminate him!"  
  
"I ain't trying to help Katz eliminate anybody. I just want my gold coin! Give me the coin and I'll leave. And I'll even tell Katz that the dog is gone for good. Then Katz will leave the dog alone and I'll have my gold and everybody will be happy."  
  
"What about your son and his wife?"  
  
"Blah, blah, blah... that stupid dog can take care of them. They ain't never done anything for me!"  
  
Courage hadn't seen Mr. Worth this angry since Shirley tried to put a bunch of wandering spirits back into the stones that they had been imprisoned in. "I've dealt with uncaring people before you have to be one of the most hateful, greed-filled, worthless excuses for a human being I have ever met!" The ghost was turning an eerie red color and his words were spat out with an angry venomous tone. "I don't care if I have to spend the rest of my eternity chasing that Katz fellow away from my friend Courage. You will never even see that gold coin if I have anything to do with it!"  
  
One of boys came up and whispered something into Mr. Worth's ear. Mr. Worth calmed down a little bit and motioned Courage to come to him. Courage walked around Ma to listen to what the boy whispered into his ear. The boy slipped something into Courage's pocket then disappeared.  
  
Mr. Worth sighed. "He's right Courage. The coin you have is stolen property. You wouldn't be able to keep it anyway. Give the lady the damned coin." His voice was still angry but it lacked the venom it had before.  
  
Courage whined up at Mr. Worth.  
  
Mr. Worth just shook his head. "Do as I tell you Courage. Everybody will be better off."  
  
Courage fished around in his pocket and pulled a golden coin out. He dropped the coin at Ma's feet then retreated to stand next to Mr. Worth.  
  
Mr. Worth glared at Ma. "Well, you have your stupid coin. Now get out of here and be sure to tell Katz that Courage has been eliminated. Oh, and one more thing, if you do not tell Katz that Courage is gone for good then I'll find one of the nastiest poltergeists in existence to haunt you for the rest of your days."  
  
Ma picked up the coin and glanced at it. "Oh boy! I'm rich!! Don't worry, I'll be sure to tell Katz that Courage has been taken care of. Maybe he'll give me another gold coin!"  
  
Ma skipped down the stairs and out the front door.  
  
Once Ma had closed the door behind her, Courage reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy gold coin with an owl on one side and a man wearing a helmet on the other. Mr. Worth smiled sofly at Courage. "We're lucky that Stephen had that gold pirate's coin." He turned to stare in the direction of the two sleeping people downstairs. "How could anybody be so unfortunate as to be in any way related to that hateful woman?"  
  
Courage whined softly in understanding.  
  
One of the girls called to Mr. Worth from downstais. "Andrew and Kara are back Mr. Worth!"  
  
Mr. Worth and Courage quickly made their way downstairs where two more children had appeard with the plants that Mr. Worth had sent them for. Mr. Worth examined the plants and praised the children's good work at finding them.  
  
"Four down, two to go." Mr. Worth put the plants in the box with the others.  
  
Courage gazed over at Muriel who had now been asleep for well over 24 hours. This gave them less than four days to find the antidote. He hoped that the other four children would be able to find the plants they needed in time. 


	12. The Ghost Catcher Works!

Mr. Worth and the children took turns guarding the front and back doors of Courage's house for the rest of the night while Courage slept on the rug by Muriel's feet. The night was uneventful and Courage got a fairly decent night's sleep.  
  
The next morning, Mr. Worth heated up the rest of the beef stew from the refrigerator for Courage's breakfast. Courage thankfully ate the delicious stew but he was really beginning to miss having breakfast with Muriel.  
  
Courage went back into the livingroom and sighed. The whole house looked terrible after being broken into and ramsacked by Katz and his friends then being ramsacked again by Ma Bagge. Courage began to put a few things back in order but it seemed useless. Everything was a mess. He sighed and curled up by Muriel's feet. Mr. Worth noticed how sad Courage was about the way his house looked so he gathered the children around him and spoke to them for a few minutes. After talking to Mr. Worth, the children began to wander around the house straightening things up while the waited for the other four children to return. Soon, the whole house looked much better.  
  
It was nearly two in the afternoon when two more of the children arrived. Mr. Worth examined the plants they brought back and praised them on a job well done before telling them to get some much needed rest.  
  
Courage looked up at the clock. Only three and a half days to get the rest of the plants and make the antidote. He was beginning to worry. What if the other children didn't return in time? What if they couldn't find the plants they were looking for? What if the antidote didn't work? His poor nerves were becoming wrecked with worry.  
  
Mr. Worth sat down beside Courage. "Don't let yourself worry like this, Courage. The other two children will return and we will have the antidote in plenty of time."  
  
Courage looked up at the ghost. He could sense something in the ghost and wondered if the ghost was beginning to worry because the children had been gone so long.  
  
There was a noise outside followed by a knock on the front door. Courage opened the door to find the newspaper delivery man standing there. He wagged his tail as he took the paper from the man then turned to go back inside as the man left.  
  
Mr. Worth read through the newspaper but found nothing ususual. The day dragged on uneventfully as they continued to wait for the other two children to bring the rest of the plants needed for the antidote.  
  
Mr. Worth was becoming visibly restless and Courage could sense that he was becoming very worried about the other two children. Finally, the teacher spoke with the children that were in the house before deciding to go find out what was taking so long for the other children to return. Courage whined softly and Mr. Worth nodded. "Hold on tight, Courage."  
  
Courage grabbed onto Mr. Worth's hand and felt himself become lighter than air as the ghost disappeared taking Courage with him.  
  
They reappeared in a dark area of forest somewhere in the mountains a few miles outside of Nowhere. The place had a very spooky feeling about it. Other than the thick vegitation, there were no signs of life. No animals or birds could be seen anywhere. There weren't even any insects buzzing about.  
  
Courage shivered and moved close to Mr. Worth who was busy studying their surroundings.  
  
Mr. Worth began to concentrated deeply, whispering quietly under his breath. He waited for a few seconds but nothing happened. "Something's wrong."  
  
Courage whined softly up at his friend who was visibly worried.  
  
Mr. Worth knelt down beside Courage. "Courage, take the necklace from around my neck and read the prayer of protection. Concentrate carefully on the words and read it three times."  
  
Courage reached up and gently removed the necklace from the ghosts neck. He turned the pendant over and began to concentrate on the strange words inscribed on the back. Slowly, carefully, he read the verse three times aloud. When he was finished, he looked up and noticed that their surroundings seemed to be somehow friendlier than they had been. From somewhere overhead, he heared the chirping of a bird in one of the trees. The air even seemed lighter.  
  
Courage turned back to Mr. Worth and carefully put the necklace back around his neck, making sure that the prayer of protection was facing the ghost. Mr. Worth rose to his feet began to concentrate again. He whispered a few words under his breath and waited. A faint shape appeared in front of them. It was one of the children and the little boy was very weak.  
  
Mr. Worth quickly glided up to the little ghost. "What happened?"  
  
A weak, almost inaudible voice answered him. "We found one of the plants but the second plant was in a cave. We went in to get the plant but something drained our energy before we could get out. Then that weird cat showed up with some sort of machine. He pointed it at Alena and she disappeared."  
  
Courage's heart sank down to his feet. Katz ghost catching machine really did work!!!  
  
Mr. Worth didn't seem to worried though. "Do you have the plants?"  
  
The little boy nodded and gave Mr. Worth the plants that he and the little girl had collected before the girl was captured. Mr. Worth examined the plants and smiled. "Very good. I'm proud of you, Daniel."  
  
Mr. Worth handed the plants back to the little boy and instructed him to hold on tightly to them. Then he turned to Courage. "Courage, I need your help. Daniel doesn't have enough energy to get back to your house so you and I will have to take him back."  
  
Courage just looked up at Mr. Worth.  
  
"It's not that difficult Courage. You have a certain amount of special abilities yourself. If you didn't then you would never be able to summon me or the children. Now, come here."  
  
Courage did as Mr. Worth instructed him. He listened carefully to the words that Mr. Worth taught him, then he and Mr. Worth formed a circle around the weak little ghost with their arms. Mr. Worth held onto Courage's paws and began to chant. Courage joined in the chant and soon he felt the world around him start to spin. A few seconds later they appeared in Courage's livingroom. Courage felt too dizzy and weak to stand so he just collapsed on the spot and tried to keep his head from spinning.  
  
Mr. Worth explained to the children what had happened then began to give all of them instructions. Instantly, the children divided into groups and went about the tasks that Mr. Worth assigned to them. Two of them knelt down by Courage's side and put their hands on him. Courage felt a warm glow surround him as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. As the children went about their tasks, Mr. Worth turned to the exhausted little boy on the floor in front of him. "Here, Daniel, take my hand."  
  
The little ghost protested. "But, what about you? I don't want to-"  
  
Mr. Worth gently silenced the little boy. "Don't worry, I'm stronger than you think. Take my hand and relax."  
  
The little boy did as Mr. Worth told him and soon he began to feel much stronger. He opened his eyes to find that his teacher was now completely drained and almost invisible. Courage opened his eyes just in time to see Mr. Worth fade completely out.  
  
Courage jumped to his feet and ran to the spot where Mr. Worth had been. He whined softly with concern.  
  
A faint voice answered him. "Courage, I need you to take three of the stronger children and go to the Katz Motel. See if you kind find out where he's keeping Alena. Don't do anything until I return - just find out where she is and return here. Whatever you do, don't let Katz catch you. We can't let him know that you are still alive."  
  
Courage just looked at the empty space where Mr. Worth had been standing with a worried look on his face.  
  
"Don't worry, Courage, I'll be okay. I just need to rest for a little while. I can't talk anymore. Please just do as I told you."  
  
Courage nodded and turned to the children who had already been talking among themselves to decide who was the strongest. Finally, three of them stepped forward. "Come on, Courage. Let's go find Alena!"  
  
One of the boys held out his hand and Courage held on tight. Soon they were standing behind the Katz Motel. 


	13. Back to the Katz Motel

The Motel was closed up tight but the window that Mr. Worth had opened for Courage the day before was still unlocked. Courage climbed in through the window and opened the back door. Three small ghosts waited for him to motion for them to come in before gliding through the door. Courage closed and locked the door behind them.  
  
They walked to the door at the far end of the large room and found themselves in the middle of a long, dark hallway. The children decided that the best way to search the building would be to split up. One boy and stayed with Courage with the other boy and the girl went the oposite way down the long hallway. The building was dark and felt spookier to Courage now than it had when he had stayed at the motel with Muriel and Eustace.  
  
Courage and the boy were nearly at the end of the hallway when the boy suddenly stopped in his tracks. "The others are calling us." He reached out his hand and Courage held on tight as the little ghost disappeared.  
  
They reappeared behind some boxes where the other two ghosts were waiting for them. The boxes were piled in the corner of a large dimly lit room with two machines in the center. One of the machines was smaller while the other machine looked like a large holding tank. Everything on the larger machine was plated in gold except for the large, empty, clear glass tank in the center. The smaller machine had various lights flashing on it but the larger machine looked dead.  
  
One of the boys floated close to the machine for a better look then returned to where the others were hiding behind the boxes. "I wonder if that little thing is what they used to capture Alena?"  
  
The girl shrugged while the other boy concentrated. "I can sense her energy. She's in that smaller machine."  
  
The girl stared at the machine for a minute or two then said. "We better get back and tell Mr. Worth what we've found."  
  
The others agreed and a second later they disappeared taking Courage with them.  
  
They reappeared in Courage's livingroom but Mr. Worth was still resting. The other children said that everything had been very quiet all evening. Courage looked up at the clock and noticed that it was already 7:15pm. Muriel and Eustace had been asleep for two full days now. Even though they already had all the plants they needed for the antidote, he couldn't help but worry.  
  
He went into the kitchen and searched for something to eat for dinner. One of the children followed him and kept watch over the back door. Courage found lunchmeat, cheese, and bread along with several other things to make a perfect sandwich. He actually found himself missing Eustace's complaints about him sitting at the table while he ate. Courage sighed and took his empty plate to the sink to wash.  
  
A familiar voice startled him as he turned away from the sink. "The children said you found out where Alena was being held."  
  
Courage wagged his tail happily and ran over to give Mr. Worth a hug. Mr. Worth knelt down and hugged Courge back. "I told you not to worry. I didn't let myself get drained too badly."  
  
Mr. Worth straightened up. "Now, let's go get Alena."  
  
Courage gave a worried look toward the livingroom.  
  
Mr. Worth smiled down at him. "We'll be back in plenty of time to wake them up. But Alena may not be so lucky if we don't get there in time."  
  
Courage looked up at him.  
  
Mr. Worth answered his unspoken question. "If she is held in that machine too long before they try to transfer her into the holding tank, then her energy could disappear for good."  
  
Courage gave an understanding nod and soon he and Mr. Worth disappeared with four of the children.  
  
The small group reappeared behind the Katz Motel. This time they weren't alone. Katz had just walked in through the back door followed by the evil looking man that Courage and Mr. Worth had seen the day before.  
  
Mr. Worth motioned for all of them to wait until Katz was far enough in the building that he wouldn't see them sneak in. Once they were sure that it was safe, Courage slipped in through the open back door and motioned for the ghosts to follow. They quickly made their way to the room where the Alena was trapped inside Katz' ghost catcher.  
  
Katz was getting ready to try to transfer the small ghost into the large holding tank. "Once we get this one in the tank, we can drain most of its energy. If this test is successful then we use the ghost catcher to capture the rest of the ghosts."  
  
The evil looking man smiled gleefully. "It's pure genius to use the energy from ghosts to power the Katz Motel!"  
  
Katz' eyes lit up wickedly. "Not only that, but when the energy is drained from the ghosts, they are trapped here in this Motel forever! Think of how much money a haunted Motel can make - -especially when each guest can have their own 'pet ghost' in their room while they stay here!"  
  
Mr. Worth struggled to keep his temper in check. Courage looked up at the ghost and noticed that he was getting very angry. He just hoped that Katz wouldn't notice the eerie red glow that was eminating from Mr. Worth. He turned back to see Katz pick up the ghost catcher and begin attaching various cables from the small machine to the holding tank. Courage turned back to see Mr. Worth talking to the children.  
  
Katz flipped on switch and was about to flip another when Mr. Worth flew angrily out from behind the boxes. "Let that spirit go or else!!!"  
  
Katz tried to point the ghost catcher at Mr. Worth but the cables got in the way.  
  
Mr. Worth had turned an angry red color and was floating toward Katz. "I said LET HER GO!" The anger in Mr. Worth's voice thundered througout the room.  
  
Katz slowly put the ghost catcher down on the floor. "What makes you think I will listen to you? There's nothing you can do to me. You're only a ghost."  
  
Katz appeared perfectly calm but the evil looking man was slowly backing away.  
  
Mr. Worth pointed to the man. "Children, let's give Katz a demonstration."  
  
The four children surrounded the man and began an all too familiar chant. Katz quickly picked up the ghost catcher but Courage had seen enough. He jumped out from behind the boxes and attacked Katz, knocking the ghost catcher out of his hands. Two of the cables came off of the ghost catcher as the machine fell on one of the switches causing a vapor like cloud to flow out of the machine. An instant later, a small girl appeared and weakly moved toward Mr. Worth.  
  
Katz struggled to get free from Courage, but the dog was way to angry. There was a whirlwind cloud of claws, pink paws, and teeth which soon ended in a pile of red and pink fur. Courage extracted himself from the pile of fur leaving a dazed Katz lying in a heap on the ground.  
  
Courage glared at the dazed Katz. "Don't you ever do anything to hurt Muriel or my friends again!!!"  
  
Katz tried to get to his feet but fell back down in a heap. The sound of sirens filled the air and soon the room was filled with police. The evil looking man was brought into the room in handcuffs.  
  
One of the officers picked Katz up by the scruff of his neck and quickly put handcuffs on him.  
  
Katz protested. "You can't arrest me, you have no evidence!"  
  
Courage just grinned as one of the officers searched Katz and pulled a priceless gold coin out of the cat's pocket.  
  
The officer just growled at Katz. "Well, we have this gold coin. We also have your friend's confession. I would say we have plenty of evidence."  
  
Courage quietly slipped away behind the boxes where Mr. Worth and the children were forming a circle around Alena who was still very weak. Courage grinned and joined hands with the ghosts becoming part of the circle. Soon the familiar chant started and the circle disappeared. 


	14. A Happy Ending

Courage and the ghosts reappeared in the middle of Courage's livingroom. Courage collapsed in a heap of dizzy fur and two of the children who had been waiting for them quickly approached him. Soon he fell into a dreamless slumber.  
  
Mr. Worth took Alena's hand and soon the little girl's energy was restored. Mr. Worth then disappeared to rest for a while.  
  
Courage awakened to find that it was already well past four in the morning. He was feeling much better but Mr. Worth still hadn't reappeared. Time was getting short. Muriel and Eustace had been asleep for two and a half days now. They still needed to mix up the antidote and hope that it worked. Even with two more days left, Courage was beginning to get nervous. What if there had been enough of that tranquilizer in those apples that it would take less than five days before Muriel was gone for good? He began to pace nervously around the livingroom.  
  
The sun was already shining when a familiar voice startled Courage out of his skin. "Good morning, Courage."  
  
Courage crawled back into his skin and followed Mr. Worth as he gathered the plants and went into the kitchen.  
  
Mr. Worth pulled the piece of paper with the instructions for making the antidote and placed it on the counter. Then took several mixing bowls down and began to place various plants in each of the bowls. Mixing a little of one plant with some of another in one bowl then mixing that bowl with the plants from another bowl. A little water in the biggest bowl ... more plant leaves from a different bowl.. a little more water and leaves from another bowl. Finally, he poured the mixture out into a small pot on the stove and heated it up until the mixture turned into a thick, green liquid.  
  
Mr. Worth poured the warm mixture into two mugs and handed one of them to Courage. "Let's go see if this works."  
  
They went into the livingroom and Mr. Worth motioned for Courage to give some of the mixture in his mug to Muriel. Courage jumped up on Muriel's lap and carefully poured some of the antidote into Muriel's mouth. Muriel coughed and sputtered then swallowed a tiny bit of the liquid then started snoring again.  
  
Mr. Worth watched with a concerned look on his face. "Give her some more of the antidote."  
  
Courage did as Mr. Worth told him but still no effect. Mr. Worth went back into the kitchen and re-read the instructions. "Hmmm... according to this, the antidote should be working."  
  
They went back into the livingroom and Courage gave Muriel the rest of the liquid that was in the mug. Still, Muriel kept snoring.  
  
One of the little girls was watching. "The story says that the person can only be awakened by a kiss."  
  
Mr. Worth shrugged and looked at Courage. "It's worth a try isn't it?"  
  
Courage nodded and moved out of the way.  
  
Mr. Worth sat the mug he was holding down on the table by Eustace then made his way over to the sleeping Muriel. Slowly, he leaned down and gave Muriel a gentle kiss on the lips then took a step back to watch.  
  
Muriel yawned and stretched then opened her eyes. "I feel like I've been sleeping for weeks!"  
  
Courage jumped up into Muriel's lap and gave her a big hug. "Muriel!!"  
  
"Courage! Ye act like ye haven't seen me for days!"  
  
Mr. Worth cleared his throat.  
  
Muriel looked up at him. "Why hello there."  
  
Muriel listened as Mr. Worth told her about the poisoned apples, Katz, Ma Bagge, and the ghost catching machine. "Oh my!! I thank ye for going to all that trouble to make the antidote. But, why is Eustace still sleeping?"  
  
Mr. Worth coughed nervously. "Well, when Courage gave you the antidote, it didn't work .. well, not on it's own." The ghost turned away to hide the fact that he was blushing. "One of the girls suggested that the only way to break the spell was with a kiss .. and ... well ... Courage would have gladly kissed you but .. well.. you need um ...a person and .. well.. I was the only..." The ghost's voice trailed as he looked down at his feet.  
  
Muriel smiled and blushed. "Well, I certainly do thank ye for waking me up. I guess I'll have to be the one to wake Eustace up."  
  
Muriel rose from her chair and gave Eustace the antidote. Of course he didn't wake up so she gave him a kiss.  
  
"What the.. .where am I .. what's goin on here!?"  
  
Courage was so happy to have them both awake that he forgot himself and jumped up in Eustace's lap to give him a hug.  
  
"Stupid dog! What's gotten into you!?"  
  
Courage happily jumped off of Eustace's lap and wagged his tail before running upstairs to join the ghosts in the attic room.  
  
Courage looked up at Mr. Worth and wagged his tail.  
  
Mr. Worth read the dog's mind. "You're very welcome Courage. We all thank you too for helping to save Alena. Do you mind if we rest here for the day? We've been awake much more than we're used to and we're all beginning to feel very tired."  
  
Courage happily insisted that the ghosts stay for the day and even the night if they wanted. The children gave Courage grateful pats and hugs before surrounding Mr. Worth who was sitting in the middle of the room. Slowly the ghosts disappeared.  
  
Courage watched the ghosts disappear then turned to leave the room as he heared Muriel's voice calling to him. "Courage, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes!"  
  
He turned to smile back at the spot where his friends were resting then happily ran downstairs to join Muriel and Eustace for breakfast. 


End file.
